USPS Update

[audiosoft]

Not sure if this is true or not, but few sellers on eBay now have this message :

Due to new Rules Established by our local Post Office, We May Be forced to close down this eBay shop soon.
It will be almost impossible for us to sell people DVDs and ship them at a low rate.
DVDs are no longer accepted as Media Mail.
Even certain types of Priority Flat Rate Envelopes and Boxes are now considered unacceptable for use.
Please double check with your post office before shipping anything.

Any input on this ?

[jeffweico]

Complete nonsense. First of all, local post offices CANNOT make up their own rules. Could you imagine the confusion if they could?

However, to qualify as media mail, certain standards must be met. Books, DVDs, CDs and computer media (but NOT video games) qualify to be mailed at the media mail rate. But, the mailpiece CANNOT contain advertisements.

And the truth is, the savings for shipping DVD's is relatively minimal. In fact, a single DVD in a bubble envelope weighs between 4-5 ounces. So it is cheaper to ship it first class anyway, since the media mail minimum charge is for 1 pound.

Now, let's say you wanted to ship a box set of DVD's that weighs 3 pounds. The media mail rate would be $3.16, while the parcel post rate would be between $5.45 and $9.15, depending on distance. Hardly a difference that would close anybody down.

[jeffweico]

I decided to check further into this, and there is a grain of truth to it. Apparently, some local post offices are inspecting media mail packages to make sure that people are not abusing media mail by sending non-qualifying items. That is perfectly understandable.

But, as soon as you allow each clerk to make their own judgment calls, chaos ensues. For example, is a trailer contained on a DVD an advertisement? What about an insert?

I don't see this as becoming a huge problem, as if they want to disqualify everything they can, then UPS and FedEX will just get that business.

Here is a link to a PDF file of the article that discusses this in detail:

http://www.stamps.org/AP/Collecting0910.pdf

[Hercules]

Average wage in America, 50,640.00 Average Government worker (excluding Congress)
71,256.00 give them a break and stop cheating on media mail!

[Bang]

I don't see why these people would ship media mail anyway, I'd hate to sell their shipping times :o

[Hercules]

^ how do they do that? Do they put media in the 'do it later bin' with priority, 1st class in the 'do it now bin'?